PASTA MACHINE (NICOLE CLAY MACHINE)

Yes!!!! I GOT A PASTA MACHINE!!!

(Or clay machine as they say but essentially it's the same as a pasta machine heh)

I've been spending a lot on money investing on clay stuff recently BUT NO REGRETS. BECAUSE I CAN USE THEM FOR QUITE A LONG TIME AND IT'S GOOD INVESTMENT (trying to justify my wants..) Again, I borrowed money from my bf again, which he gracefully lend to me and fully support me haha. I'll be returning it after I get my pay for my part time job this month :D

It costs SGD $39.90 which is $40 these people trying to make it look like it cost lesser than it really is lol but yeah.

I went online to see some reviews and honestly there wasn't much good reviews but most of them were saying it gets the job done and it's okay for a beginner. I don't really think I want to invest in a proper pasta machine which would be bigger than this one. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that it's smaller than I expected. Since I really don't have much space in my room, staying with 2 more tenants and all.

It was fully wrapped in bubble wrap, and I bet it's so that the handle and clamp that comes with it separately won't scratch the machine :)

Comes with this manual thing which was squeezed in the box haha that's why it's crumpled but it doesn't really matter.

It tells you how you should use it, which is useful for beginner like me. (Putting the clay to the thickest setting, then slowly work the clay to the thinest setting you want, condition the clay before putting in machine etc etc) I know some of the clay makers are saying you can use the machine to condition your clay itself but I think if you want the pasta machine to last you should condition BEFORE putting the clay through the machine. Besides, it's a pain in the a** to clean the machine since you can't open it up :( They don't build pasta machine like how they did in the past, where you can disassemble and clean it and reassemble again.

The manual also gives some example of how you can make polymer clay items using the pasta machine, which could be helpful. I appreciate the effort.

I love how shiny it is hehe. The thickness setting dial, like how I read in one of the reviews, is indeed kind of hard to change, but I'm sure once I find the perfect spot and get used to it, it'll be a breeze.

I am glad that the clamp they provided was JUST NICE to clamp down the machine on my thin, portable table.

I don't have a proper desk in my room for me to do my stuff so I always have to take out my portable table and set it on my bed to use, making sure it's clean etc. I clay on my bed too :(

But anyway, it's great that I don't have to spend money on another clamp or something. It workkkkks. Because I've seen people who says that the clamp is for thicker tables. But that's probably because it's a legit pasta machine and usually kitchen tables are thicker? Haha.

Just to show the difference it makes to have a pasta machine. I started making my first polymer clay item (which I will blog about it soon) but I decided to get a pasta machine as I realised that I really can't get my clay to be FLAT and NEAT.

I did not have a proper acrylic roller that were big enough to flatten the clay properly. I used the Martha Stewart roller for air dry clay which was obviously not suitable for polymer clay since the colour pigment and tiny bits of clay gets stuck on the roller and it's just so annoying. It also breaks my clay because of inconsistent strength I put throughout. Obviously having a proper roller would work better but it was about SGD $20++ and I'm like NOPE I'D RATHER GET A PASTA MACHINE because roller still may not give you the same consistency a pasta machine may give you and hey my clay machine is just 2x (or less) the roller's price lol.

When I bring my clay through the pasta machine, there were lines from I am guessing the blade, but it's fine because it's only one side and if needed it can be smoothed out with some corn starch!

I still don't know whether do I need to roll the clay through quickly or slowly but I'm guessing should be slower because being quick might tear the clay which happened to me sometimes.

I do know that I MUST condition the clay properly before I put it through the machine (this is my own opinion though some people condition the clay USING the machine) and also, try to flatten the piece with my hands as much as possible before going through the machine so that it doesn't get stuck and I don't have to force it through the machine which is never good.

I'm glad that I got the machine, it really makes a huge difference and makes my final product looks more professional. If you have bumps on a supposedly flat piece it really wouldn't be nice, would it?

Or maybe I'm just a perfectionist haha.

IF IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE FLAT IT NEEDS TO BE FLAT!!!! *makes a huge fuss*